Writing About Stories Basic Elements of Fiction: · PLOT – what happens in the story or poem

Writing About Stories

Basic Elements of Fiction:

· PLOT – what happens in the story or poem

Foreshadowing – sets up plot events

Rising action – the events that lead up to the turning point in the story

Climax – the culmination of a conflict; the turning point in the story

Denouement – the resolution or the outcome of the plot

· CHARACTERS – move the plot through dialogue or action

Flat character – has one trait

Round character – has several traits, complex personality

Character Foil- character that serves in contrast to another

Regarding characters, don’t just rely on what they say; focus on what they do.

· SETTING – time and place of a story or poem

· SYMBOLISM – characters, things stand for higher meaning in the story; don’t take the page at face value (for example, the color red sometimes indicates passion or adultery, or the color purity can stand for purity)

· POINT OF VIEW – will be first (use of “I”) or third person (he, she, it, they); remember, the narrator may or may not participate in the story.

· STYLE – often, the use of first person reveals a certain style; it relates to attitude

· THEME – the statement that the work makes about life, wisdom, overall purpose; in the Table of Contents section of Literature for Composition, there is a division of the contents according to theme

See the checklist for getting ideas of what to write about (324-326) in Literature for Composition.